Scottish Parliament

Written Answers

Thursday 24 June 1999

Scottish Executive

Agriculture

Tavish Scott (Shetland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to prepare practical arrangements for the implementation of the Agricultural Business Improvement Scheme.

Ross Finnie: The Highlands and Islands Agricultural Programme began in 1994. Amendments to the original Programme took effect on 31 March 1999. The Programme is administered through agricultural Area Offices and anyone wishing details of the Programme, including the recent amendments to it, should contact their Area Office.

Care for the Elderly

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to support the provision of free residential and nursing care for elderly people.

Iain Gray: The recommendations in the report of the Royal Commission on Long Term Care about social work, health and housing matters will be for Scottish Ministers from 1 July. These include the recommendations about personal care and nursing care. We are considering our response.

Child Welfare

Scott Barrie (Dunfermline West) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it intends to take to reduce child poverty in Scotland.

Jackie Baillie: We want to give the best possible start to all Scottish children and will be promoting an integrated programme of distinctive Scottish measures, including initiatives in education, childcare and health.

Education

Allan Wilson (Cunninghame North) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make a statement on improving standards in Scottish schools.

Peter Peacock: Our commitment is demonstrated by making the Education Improvement Bill our top priority in the first legislative programme. The Excellence Fund is allocating £377 million over the next 3 years to schools to raise standards.

Education

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to include Jordanhill School in its plans to return all directly funded schools to local authority control.

Peter Peacock: Jordanhill School has never been under local authority management, so the question of returning it to the local authority does not arise.

Further Education

Mr Michael McMahon (Hamilton North and Bellshill) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many disabled students in Scotland it intends will benefit from the extension of the non-means tested Disabled Students Allowance to full time students.

Nicol Stephen: From session 1999-2000, as part of the aim to widen access to higher education, the Disabled Students' Allowance will be available to all  eligible full-time and part-time higher education students; there is no specified number.

Junior Doctors

Mr Duncan Hamilton (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to affirm its commitment to a maximum working week of 56 hours for junior doctors in Scotland.

Susan Deacon: A commitment to the achievement of the 56 hour target here in Scotland has already been given and I can restate our determination to see that fully implemented.

Legal Aid

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to meet with members of the Scottish Legal Aid Board to discuss delays in Legal Aid payments.

Mr Jim Wallace: My officials have met senior officers at the Board twice recently and this matter has also been discussed with the Board in the Tripartite Group which also includes the Law Society of Scotland. I am being kept fully informed and plan to meet the Board in due course as part of my familiarisation with the key players in the justice system.

Legal Aid

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to seek an assurance from the Scottish Legal Aid Board that either –

  (a) the targets within which Advice and Assistance, Civil and Criminal accounts should be paid are being met; or,

  (b) arrangements are being made to ensure that the targets will be met in future.

Mr Jim Wallace: The targets set out in the Board’s annual Corporate Plan are the subject of monthly monitoring by the Board. Recently the Board has fallen seriously behind the targets on the payment of criminal legal aid accounts, and slightly behind in other areas. The Board has recently had a drive for improved quality in accounts assessment, and this, combined with staff turnover, has led to delays. The Board has put in place measures to tackle the backlog including additional staff and is now starting to recover the position. I am being kept fully informed of the developing situation.

Local Communities

Cathie Craigie (Cumbernauld and Kilsyth) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to promote the involvement of local citizens in the democratic renewal of communities across Scotland.

Mr Frank McAveety: The Report of the Commission on Local Government and the Scottish Parliament was presented to the First Minister on Tuesday. We are considering the recommendations of the Report and I hope there will be an early opportunity to debate these.

New Community Schools Initiative

Bristow Muldoon (Livingston) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make a statement on the New Community Schools initiative and its plans to enhance the current programme.

Peter Peacock: New Community Schools is a radical initiative to modernise schools, raise attainment and promote social inclusion. We will be spending £26 million on them over the next 3 years.

Right to Buy Scheme

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to lay before the Parliament the 38 responses made to the February 1998 consultation paper on changes to the Right to Buy scheme and cost floor rules.

Ms Wendy Alexander: Copies of 37 of the responses are being placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre. In the remaining case, comments were provided on an "in confidence" basis.

Right to Buy Scheme

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to restore, for a period of six months or other trial period, to those tenants affected by the Housing (Right to Buy)(Cost Floor)(Scotland) Order (S.I. 1999/611) the right to purchase their council house with the benefit of the discount which they would have received under the previous rules.

Ms Wendy Alexander: No. The Housing (Right to Buy) (Cost Floor) (Scotland) Order took effect on 1 April 1999 and applies to all applications to purchase served on or after that date.

Right to Buy Scheme

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to review the Housing (Right to Buy)(Cost Floor)(Scotland) Order (S.I. 1999/611) and the Right to Buy Cost Floor Determination.

Ms Wendy Alexander: No. However, the Housing Green Paper sought views on the Right to Buy more generally. Responses to the Green Paper on this and other issues are currently being collated and analysed.

Skye Bridge Tolls

Brian Adam (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make a statement on the total cost of abolishing Skye bridge tolls with immediate effect.

Sarah Boyack: The basis for costing abolition of the tolls is stipulated in the contract for procuring the bridge. The Scottish Executive has no plans to initiate any negotiations about abolition with the concessionaire. Its policy is to freeze tolls at 1999 cash levels for the remainder of the contract. This will benefit all users of the bridge.

Special Advisers

Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has appointed an Official Spokesperson and, if so, from what date and with what duties.

Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has appointed a Chief of Staff and, if so, from what date, and with what duties and to whom is the person accountable.

Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has Special Advisers and, if so, what is the management structure within which they operate.

Donald Dewar: I announced on 20 May 1999 the appointment of a Principal Special Adviser and a Spokesman with effect from 17 May. These are personal appointments, accountable to me, and were made under the authority of the April 1999 Civil Service Order in Council. In due course I will announce the appointment of further Special Advisers to provide specialist and political advice and assistance complementing that of the civil service.

Transport

Karen Whitefield (Airdrie and Shotts) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to make a statement on improving the quality of bus services in Scotland.

Sarah Boyack: The UK Government published in March a consultation paper setting out proposals for improving local bus services. Comments were invited by 25 June. Our Transport Bill will propose changes

  in the way bus services are organised emphasising improvement in quality and the development of partnership.

Volvo in Irvine

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to announce if a buyer has been found for the Volvo Truck and Bus manufacturing plant in Irvine and, if so, whether it intends to name the buyer by 2 July 1999.

Henry McLeish: The Scottish Office and Locate in Scotland are making every effort to assist Volvo to find a buyer with a view to ensuring a continuing manufacturing presence on the Irvine site. The Scottish Executive is equally committed to securing a continuing future for the facility and the skilled workforce there. We are hopeful that these efforts to retain the maximum number of existing skilled jobs will prove successful, however it is premature to speculate on when any announcement of a buyer might be made.

Warrant Sales

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to bring forward legislation to abolish warrant sales in Scotland.

Mr Jim Wallace: Warrant sales act as an ultimate sanction within a range of remedies available to the creditor for all types of debt. The system of warrant sales was reformed by the Debtors (Scotland) Act 1987. These reforms removed the most resented and harsh aspects of the procedure. The results of a study into the effectiveness of the working of the procedures introduced by the 1987 Act, including those for poinding and warrant sale, has just been published. The Executive will give consideration to the study reports and, in particular, will consider whether any further legislation is desirable.

Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body

Gaelic

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Presiding Officer whether provision will be made for the inclusion of Gaelic, in a meaningful and not token way, in the opening ceremonies and events of 30 June and 1 July.

Sir David Steel: It is appropriate that that there should be a Gaelic element in the opening ceremony. That is why the Inverness Gaelic choir have been asked to sing in the courtyard of the Assembly Hall to welcome MSPs and The Queen to the ceremony in the Chamber.